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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460287">Chosen Family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhie/pseuds/Zhie'>Zhie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Raising Cain In Valinor Once Again [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animals as Family, Commune Living, M/M, chosen family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:22:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,073</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22460287</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhie/pseuds/Zhie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Over time, Maedhros and Fingon acquire several more housemates--and not all of them walk on two legs.  There is more than the stories to this series - see https://raisingcain.weebly.com/ for more fun.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beleg Cúthalion/Túrin Turambar, Edrahil/Finrod Felagund | Findaráto, Erestor/Glorfindel (Tolkien), Fingon | Findekáno/Maedhros | Maitimo, Tuor/Voronwë (Tolkien)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Raising Cain In Valinor Once Again [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>2020 My Slashy Valentine</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chosen Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaisingCaiin/gifts">RaisingCaiin</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was bound to be an adventure whenever Beleg was around.  He was the third occupant of the household of Fingon and Maedhros.  When Maedhros was reborn, which happened simultaneously with Fingon’s rebirth, Maedhros’ very first desire was to see his family again--but he found that they were all so very spread apart across Valinor.  He could only manage to visit two or three brothers in a single day. Caranthir had taken over the stronghold in Formenos, and Celegorm and Curufin had the family estate in Tirion. The youngest brothers were on Tol Eressëa; Maglor, when he finally found his way back, went to live a life of lamentation on Taniquetil, in the service of the Valar after Nienna healed his hands. It meant he was the most difficult of all of the brothers for Maedhros to see on a regular basis.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His father had only recently been returned, and spent most of his time with the Lambengolmor.  He and Rúmil were immersed in a project to complete the most comprehensive listing of Quenya words and their Sindarin translations, as well as a separate rhyming dictionary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Maedhros’ great desire to have them all in one place.  He spoke to his mother about it and both she and his stepfather advised against the idea.  (Had it only been his mother, he might have listened, but he was partial to being contrary to anything his stepfather suggested.) Fingon, ever wishing to please his best friend and lover, aided in every aspect, from working multiple jobs for several years to acquire the funding to purchase land and materials necessary to build a cozy, sufficient home to spending long hours applying the skills he acquired in masonry and carpentry to help build the house.  It had eight bedrooms on the second floor and a master bedroom on the third. The dining room and kitchen were large enough to accommodate twenty or more people, and there were large gathering places in the basement left undeveloped--save for the wine cellar that doubled as a tasting room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros sent invitations to his family and anxiously awaited their replies.  Of his brothers, only Caranthir made the trek to come and see the house, which was located west of Valmar, west of the memorial to the Two Trees, but east of Mandos, in a small city called Merenya.  He stayed three days, declared the house ‘adequate, but too small for comfortable living’. When asked if he would consider at least occasional visits, he suggested Maedhros and Fingon come to visit him instead. (An unlikely prospect--Fingon still had nightmares about snow and ice.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fëanor came to see the house as well, but it was far more exhibition than vacation.  His father took a tour of all rooms, expressing praise for his son’s endeavor. He named the house ‘cozy’ and ‘homey’, and reminded them they would need to consider servants and upkeep, and that they might not have planned for all eventualities with the number of rooms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They went to lunch elsewhere, much to Maedhros’ disappointment.  Following the meal, Fëanor expressed an interest in stopping by a local museum, and the day ended early, with Fëanor traveling back home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We tried,” said Fingon as he and Maedhros sat on a bench outside of the museum.  “I thought he would change his mind once he saw the house. Maybe, after he finishes his project, he will reconsider.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He will just find another project,” Maedhros sighed.  “I should have listened to my mother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Fingon sat and patted Maedhros on the shoulders, he looked up and saw someone was watching them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two someones, if you count animals, for on the lap of the man watching them was a large white rabbit with red eyes upon them as well.  “Hello,” the man greeted them pleasantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good day,” offered Fingon.  They were on opposite sides of the thoroughfare.  An occasional pedestrian or rider would pass between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you seen a ferret?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fingon furrowed his brow.  “Have I ever seen a ferret, or have I seen a particular ferret?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How would I know which you have seen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fingon’s brow knitted more intensely.  “Which is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How should I know?” questioned the man.  The rabbit flicked one ear back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fingon looked to Maedhros for guidance.  “What does he want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In that moment, the ridiculous nature of the situation brought a smile to Maedhros’ face.  “He has lost his ferret,” he said. “I think he wants help finding it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the ferret does not belong to me, but he is lost, and I would like to find him,” said the man.  “I would appreciate the assistance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If he does not belong to you, who does he belong to?” asked Fingon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man stood up and set the rabbit on the ground, and then the pair came across the street and sat down with Fingon and Maedhros.  “No one. He just belongs with us. This is Silivren,” he said of the rabbit, who was now on her hind legs examining Maedhros’ leg with her nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am Maedhros and this is Fingon.  And what is your name?” asked Maedhros.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am Beleg,” he said as he picked up the rabbit to cuddle her.  He was wearing mostly white himself, with one glaring difference--his shoes matched her eyes.  “I wonder if Haradion went home without us,” he mused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is Haradion?” asked Maedhros as Fingon complemented, “I like your shoes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you!”  Beleg lifted one leg out.  “I made them myself!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Many years with Fingon had allowed Maedhros to adapt to someone who could get easily distracted, and so he calmly redirected them to the issue at hand.  “Is it possible the ferret is with Haradion?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haradion is the ferret,” Beleg said matter of factly.  “He slips away sometimes without being noticed.” Only now did the others notice the tiny pink lizard that was peeking out of Beleg’s front pocket, on account of its long, thin green tongue flicking out to catch a most unfortunate fly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They helped Beleg find Haradion (the ferret was in the museum, as it turned out), and all six of them--three Elves, a rabbit, a lizard, and a ferret--went back to the cozy, homey house that Fingon and Maedhros were sharing to have supper.  Beleg walked through the house in awe, delighted by all of the rooms and the vastness of the kitchen and dining room. He admired the gazebo, and the trees, and the room in the basement with the wall of wine bottles and the tall tables for sharing a drink.  When he excused himself to use the outhouse, he was led to a room with an indoor toilet and was amazed by it.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Maedhros and Fingon waited for him to reemerge, Fingon squeezed Maedhros’ arm and asked, “Can we keep him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweetheart, he is not a pet--and even his definition of pets differs from ours,” he said softly as he watched the rabbit nibble at the leg of a chair.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All the same--he really likes the house, and I think he would be great company.  Will a few small animals hurt anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He probably has a home,” Maedhros warned Fingon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As it turned out, Beleg did have a home, but it was a two-room roughly built stone structure.  It had sufficed for him, and for whatever small creatures were currently in his care (for he would not refer to them as pets nor as he being the owner of them).  It was cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, and prone to infestations of insects and rodents on account of the floor being dirt and the roof having holes in it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if you had a place to live that did not have holes in the roof?” asked Fingon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beleg sipped his wine while the rabbit and ferret ate from a bowl of fresh vegetables and greens that Maedhros gathered for them.  One red-shoed foot tapped against the leg of the table. “If I had a place to live without holes in the roof, do you not think I would live there instead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think what Fingon is offering is, if you would wish it, to live here with us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In my own room?” asked Beleg cautiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With my own magic toilet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Most of the rooms do not have their own, but we can see if we can alter a bathing chamber,” said Fingon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the animals?” asked Beleg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros looked down at the rabbit and ferret.  “I think we can make accommodations for them,” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Them’ turned out to be the rabbit, the ferret, a duck, a fennec fox, just shy of a dozen cats, three goats, a one-eyed emu who was prone to walking into tree trunks, and a very small horse that limped a little on account of its legs being different lengths.  Maedhros set to work at once to make the alterations needed for the animals, starting with different sized shoes for the horse and a pen to keep the emu safe from tree attacks. The ferret and rabbit stayed inside, mostly in Beleg’s room, for the duration of their lives.  Since that day, there was always a cat to greet anyone who walked in the gardens or went to the stables, and the pest population diminished--especially when it came to spiders and other undesirable things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beleg was very practical about the animals; he never mourned their losses, but instead celebrated the time he had with them.  He also tended to pick up others at the same rate as previous companions. This usually happened when he went on adventures and excursions.  The first of these was when two new occupants of the house arrived--Glorfindel and Erestor, two Elves who had previously lived in Rivendell. When they arrived in Valinor, Glorfindel had an expectation that he and his newly proclaimed lover would be welcomed into his family’s ancestral home, where generations of the House of the Golden Flower lived together.  It was where Glorfindel had been born, and where he lived after his rebirth. It only made sense to go there a third time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>According to Erestor later, it was the worst three days of his life, which ended only when Erestor overheard Glorfindel’s grandfather from his Vanyarin side telling the renowned balrog slayer that he could not possibly keep company with the man he brought with him.  It was not Glorfindel’s homosexuality; his grandfather denied that, at least. “Why him? Why not Ecthelion? I thought the two of you got along well. Why not him?” Glorfindel declared his love for Erestor, and it was the one good memory Erestor had of the time in that house.  When Glorfindel pressed about the matter further and why his family was so averse to his choice, his grandfather declared that he would not have an elf with the skin of an orc living under their roof, nor would he eat at a table with someone who looked like they should be eating off the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Few Vanyar were racist, but the ones who were tended to be insistently vocal about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erestor’s reaction was immediate--he shoved the doors he was behind open so that they slammed into the walls on either side, told Glorfindel’s grandfather just what he thought of him and who of the two of them should actually be eating off the floor, retrieved their things, and left within the hour.  In silence, Glorfindel and Erestor rode to the House of Finarfin. It was where Elrond had gone, for Celebrían was known to live there. They arrived after an hour’s slow ride, for their horses had to pull their belongings on sleds behind them, but Elrond and Celebrían were not to be found there, nor did anyone know whence they had gone.   </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glorfindel was of distant kinship to Finarfin, and eased the conversation to a discussion about the rain and the weather.  It was obvious he hoped to gain sympathy for the situation, and Finarfin asked they wait a moment on the porch. Glorfindel gave Erestor’s hand a squeeze and smiled at him--perhaps they would sleep in warm beds that night after all.  When Finarfin returned, he had with him a slip of paper with a crude map on it, and a satchel with coimas and wine. Instead of inviting them in and out of the cold rain, Finarfin suggested they go west, and seek the house of his nephews.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They arrived the next day in the middle of a downpour, looking like two soaked cats.  Their attitude was reminiscent of such animals as well. The house was still only inhabited by three people (and a few animals), and Maedhros and Fingon graciously extended the hospitality that their uncle had not.  They were made to remove their wet garments, given blankets to wrap in while dry clothing was retrieved, and settled by the fire. Food was brought to them by Maedhros while Beleg and Fingon saw to their horses and brought the chests and baggage in and draped all of the damp clothes over counters and chairs in the kitchen to dry them.  No one ever formally discussed an arrangement for them to stay, but late that night after they were fed and dry, Maedhros said, “Let me show you to your quarters.” Only once did Glorfindel bring up the matter of length of stay, and Maedhros silenced him by clasping his shoulder, looking down at the Elf who was shorter than he was (so you can imagine Erestor’s perspective of Maedhros), and said, “This is your home, for as long as you will it to be.”  And that was that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maedhros and Erestor hit it off instantly, and the two of them along with Fingon could stay up for hours past midnight talking about everything.  As for Glorfindel and Beleg, they were early risers and adventure seekers, and it was not long before they planned day trips together to go exploring.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Exploring also led to more animals.  There was the shy llama who followed them back at a distance, and was felt to have perhaps belonged to someone, but decided to come live with them instead.  She would steal food in the most apologetic way possible, eating only half of any given item before bringing it back to the owner and backing slowly away with neck down slightly.  There was also the fruit bat ensnared in Glorfindel’s hair (which was not discovered until they got home, and led to a serious discussion about hairstyles and why braids were a good idea for travel, especially for Elves who could wrap themselves in their own hair).  The most memorable was the judgemental parrot, in part because of the length of time he was with them, and in part because he would swear at them in Sindarin.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike the animal population, which tended to stay about the same, the number of people in the house increased, practically doubling one week.  First, Finrod and Edrahil showed up. Finrod was a complete mess, and it took almost a day and a half to get him to explain to the others what went on.  (Edrahil was good enough to pull Fingon aside early and told the tale, so the others were prepared for it, but still offered their full support to Finrod in those difficult days.   They were followed by Voronwë and Tuor a few days later. The presence of Tuor changed Beleg’s demeanor, and only when Maedhros analyzed the situation did the others consider what should be done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finrod decided someone should speak to the Valar about the fate of Túrin--for if the prophecies were true (and Finrod felt they were), Túrin most certainly would need to be around to do what he was to do.  It was also Finrod who decided he should be the one to speak to them, making the case that Túrin needed time to train and become accustomed to a physical form again.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when that did not work, he broke down sobbing over the cruelty that was unfairly placed upon Beleg, who clearly still loved Túrin and pined for him, and compensated with random animals, and deserved better than this.  Whether because the Valar were moved by Finrod, or just wanted to get him to stop ugly crying on the steps of the Halls of Waiting, they granted release of Túrin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Provided Beleg could prove his love with a series of quests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finrod returned absolutely frustrated; Beleg was excited and declared himself up for the challenges.  He (along with Glorfindel, of course--no one was going to leave him out of a good quest) was required to perform six tasks successfully.  The first was to restore the Temple of Yavanna in Tirion, which had suffered from storms and a lack of attention. The second was to find a proto-silmaril, which were thought to have been lost in Formenos.  The third quest had them on Tol Eressëa, where they were to settle a dispute between two families who had been at war with each other for centuries. The fourth was to successfully nurture a sapling of a silver willow and plant it in the garden outside the memorial to the Two Trees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before the fifth task could be declared, Erestor went to have words with the Valar.  In his opinion, Beleg and Glorfindel were being used by the Valar to take care of some chores they were too lazy to tend to on their own.  Where Finrod had used logic and sympathy, Erestor used reason and wrath. Though he may have been short in stature, he was mighty in voice and determination.  In less than two hours, he was traveling back to the house, and Túrin was with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, the first thing Beleg and Túrin decided to do upon being reunited was to finish the rest of the list. (Erestor put his foot down regarding the idea that Glorfindel would accompany them--that is, he literally tied his lover to the bed frame, placed his bare foot upon Glorfindel’s chest, and refused to untie him until Beleg and Túrin were far away.  Rumor has it, Glorfindel was not all that mad about it, really.) Beleg and Túrin returned to the house many months and not just two but five quests and a snapping turtle later--there was bound to be an adventure whenever Beleg was around. </span>
</p>
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